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Never Broken by Everly Claire Series: The Unchained #1
New North America, 2025
Louisa
I was destined for a fortune built on the backs of slaves, but now I’m one failed university course away from losing it all.
Only my father’s newest purchase can the slave with eyes too sharp and hands too deft for hard labor. The one who just whispered something shocking in my ear when he passed with the wheelbarrow.
The one I know is dangerous.
But his words don’t matter. We’re forbidden. He’s here to clean gutters, not to teach me, not to look at me, and definitely not to touch me.
And I won’t let him. Not my hand, not my heart, not anything…
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A number. Not a name. That’s all I am to them. Whipped, chained, beaten, brutalized — but never broken.
They stole my sister, and I’ve schemed my way through pain and grief to make my enemy my new master. I’ll kill him and find her.
And if I have to use his spoiled daughter to do it, fine. I’ve spent my life playing their game—now she’ll play mine.
Except she’s not spoiled. She’s brave, she’s learning, and she’s making me want things. Things I can't have.
They stole everything from me. I’ll never give my heart, too.
But here, just one broken rule can kill you, so we might just have to shatter all of them.
Starting with the ones we made for ourselves.
Perfect for fans of MANACLED, STILL BEATING, and BAD BOYS DON'T DIE, NEVER BROKEN is your first taste of an epic, twisty, suspenseful us-against-the-world forbidden romance trilogy featuring morally gray characters and set in a chilling dystopia a little too much like ours. Although the world is dark and the themes potentially triggering, the romance isn’t as dark. This book ends with a happy for now and a cliffhanger that will make you gasp. And with NEVER BOUND and NEVER LOST, you get a complete arc with a guaranteed happily ever after worth waiting for
Published by Hudson & Hawk Group Genres: Romance, Angst, Dark, Dystopian, New Adult
Format: ARC, eBook, Review Copy
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first things first
I’ll readily admit that the “modern day slavery” story line here definitely made me a little apprehensive, but I was also extremely intrigued.
Full disclosure: I read Never Broken on Kindle Unlimited and Never Bound was graciously gifted to me as an ARC.
main thoughts
Never Broken
Talk about jumping in with both feet in this world! Louisa is extremely naive to the truth of the slaves–particularly that they’re actual people with actual feelings and emotions and are treated as if they’re less than human–especially in comparison to their “owners.” And I realize that alone could easily put one off of this book, but she thankfully doesn’t feel as if they’re “not real people” for long.
I actually found Louisa to be quite likable, even when she wasn’t (does that make sense? lol). She just comes across as someone who truly has a big heart and wants to do the right thing, it’s just that the way she’s grown up is not conducive to the morals she’s gaining. Thankfully, between a mandatory class she’s taking at her university about slaves’ lives and their welfare and the way she’s growing closer to “the boy,” she’s learning that the things she and her peers have been taught all their lives is not only wrong but completely morally reprehensible.
Never Bound
This book was even better than the first, if you ask me. Louisa’s relationship with the boy is growing stronger, which was swoony but also completely stressed me out. I felt like they were taking way too many unnecessary risks. I mean, this is a world where not only can the slave be executed for a relationship with a non-slave, but the non-slave can be sold to slavery. These are huge stakes and it stressed me out every time there was a close call.
I was also frustrated with how they argued–particularly for the times when the boy would decide it was too much to be with Louisa and he began pushing her away by saying incredibly hurtful things. While there’s obviously still a lot of disconnect between Louisa’s experiences and the boy’s experiences, Louisa has done nothing but support him and hasn’t tried anything untoward. She’s said some hurtful things and she knows it, but she isn’t the same as the other women the boy has dealt with in the past. He’s clearly traumatized, so he’s still unsure how to handle someone who actually loves him and wants nothing but good things for him, I just felt horrible for them both when they would fight. It made me want to shake them lol.
The growing mystery of what happened to the boy’s sister–Maeve–and what she’s been doing all this time is intriguing and a few times had me scratching my head. I’m still not sure who the main “big bad” is in this story, but I have a few suspicions…
bullet points
- the push and pull between the main characters was amazing 😍 I love a good slow burn romance, and these books definitely deliver.
- Max is an interesting character. I can’t decide if he’s willfully ignorant, if he’s kind of a chaotic good, or if he actually is one of the “big bads.” No matter what, he’s a fascinating and compelling character and I’m interested to learn more.
- Resi is a character I didn’t trust from the beginning. I could have her motives wrong, but I just don’t trust her…I guess I’ll find out in the next books what her angle is.
- That ending of book 2…wow. I am anxiously awaiting book 3!!
quotes
final thoughts
These books are wonderfully written and give a compelling story while also being romantic and sexy. I definitely suggest you check your trigger warnings before reading, but I highly recommend for anyone who loves dark romance and dystopian themes.
As always, come back and let me know what you think of the books if you’ve read them!
Happy reading!
kindle unlimited
Other than ARCs, I read pretty much exclusively on KU. It’s saved me a ton of money through the years and I love how easy it is to read through the program!
If you’re interested in checking out Kindle Unlimited, click here to get your first month free!
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